Falafel Burgers and Tomato Soup

Start with the tzatziki sauce.



1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1/4 cup peeled, seeded, finely grated cucumber
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp dried mint leaves
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Normally, I would use freshly chopped mint but couldn't find any that day at the market.

The cucumber: Cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. You should be left with two cucumber canoes.

Grate finely on a box grater or chop it up real good with a chef's knife. Keep the juice. The Greek yogurt is very thick.

Mix all the ingredients together.



Next, make the falafel.

16-20 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained, washed and drained again
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil for the falafel
1 tbsp water plus more to get the right consistency for the burger
4 Saltine crackers, finely crushed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup olive oil for frying

Mash all the ingredients together in a bowl with the back of a soup spoon. If the mixture is crumbly, add 1 tbsp of water at a time until you can form into a ball. Cover. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Start the tomato soup.



28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 large, fresh tomato, chopped
1/3 cup peeled, seeded, finely grated and drained cucumber
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp salt (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Generous squeeze of lemon juice.

To drain the cucumber, grate on a paper towel.

In summer, I would use very ripe, peeled and partially seeded tomatoes. I say partially seeded because I like some of the jelly-like substance that holds the seeds. Chop and pulse the pieces of tomato in a blender, just short of a puree consistency.

Put everything in pot and bring to a simmer.

Finish.

Form the chickpea mixture into patties and shallow fry in the oil. Fry a little past golden but not brown. If you don't fry long enough, they will fall apart.

When done, drain the oil from the burgers on a rack or some paper towels.

Serve the falafel with the tzatziki, tomato and lettuce on a pita or some other kind of soft flatbread.